Therapeutic color changing putty and method of therapeutic exercise using same

ABSTRACT

A color changing putty is provided for therapeutic exercise, comprising a silicone putty and a pigment such that when the putty is worked by the hands, the pigmented putty gives visual indication of color change when it reaches one temperature, and disappears, or reverts back in color, when reaching a higher temperature.  
     A method is also provided for a therapeutic hand exercise using such putties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to color changing putty and, in particular, to silicone putty containing a pigment which will cause a change in color of the putty due to application of heat, such as when the putty is manipulated by the hands during therapeutic exercise. This invention also relates to a method of therapeutic exercise using such color changing silicone putty.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Color changing putties, including color changing silicone putties have been known and used for various purposes. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,786,578 issued to George M. Christy et al. on Jul. 28, 1998 describes a microwave-heatable therapeutic exercise putty mass packaged within a container having a transparent wall. A thermochromic heat sensitive semiconductor is affixed to the container wall in intimate heat transfer contact with the putty. The thermochromic material provides visual indications through the wall when the putty reaches certain temperatures. The putties disclosed in the aforementioned patent include organopolysiloxane-boron bouncing putties.

[0003] Another patent, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 5,596,025 issued to Joe D. Oxman et al. discloses a dental impression material in which the cure can be monitored visually. The material comprises a silicone polymer and one or more cure-indicating dyes which impart to the composition an initial pre-cure color and a different color after the composition reaches its cure temperature.

[0004] U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,075 issued to Robert M. Gibbons on Aug. 29, 1995 describes a method and apparatus for monitoring a patient's progress in manipulative therapy by using an exercise putty. Two different colored masses of putty are supplied to the patient who is instructed to knead or manipulate the two putties together until the mixture of the putty mass achieves a uniform color. The exercise putties used in the method of said patent include a chain extended polysiloxane reaction product and, optionally, normal polysiloxane gum.

[0005] Notwithstanding the putties described in the aforementioned patents, there is still a dire need for a simpler, less costly and effective color changing putty for use in therapeutic exercise.

[0006] Accordingly, it is another object of the present invention to provide an exercise putty for use in therapeutic applications.

[0007] It is a further object of this invention to provide a therapeutic exercise putty which is capable of providing a visual indication of a change in color of the putty after the putty has achieved a certain temperature.

[0008] It is also an object of this invention to provide an exercise putty which contains a pigment which exhibits a visual change in color when the temperature of the putty is raised such as when the putty is worked by the patient's hands during therapeutic exercise.

[0009] It is a further object of this invention to provide a therapeutic exercise method using such color changing putties.

[0010] The foregoing and other objects and features of the present invention will be better understood from the ensuing detailed description.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0011] The aforementioned objects are provided in accordance with one aspect of the invention by mixing a putty having an initial color A (which may be colorless) with a certain pigment at room temperature to produce a pigmented putty having the color B different from the color of the initial putty. The pigmented putty is then manipulated by the hands for therapeutic exercise until the temperature of the putty reaches a higher temperature, say, between about 75°-95° F. or higher, with the pigmented putty changing back to the color A. When therapy is discontinued and the hand manipulated pigmented putty cools back to room temperature, the pigmented putty will return to the color B, and the pigmented putty may be reused for therapeutic exercise by the same patient, or by another patient.

[0012] In another aspect of this invention, a putty having the color A is mixed with a pigment at room temperature to produce a pigmented putty having a color B different from the color A and the pigmented putty is manipulated by the hands during a prescribed therapeutic exercise. The pigmented putty is thus heated to a high temperature, say, about 85° F. at which temperature it will return to color A of the initial putty. When using this pigmented putty, the color A of the worked-up pigmented putty will remain the same, i.e., color A indicating that the therapeutic regime has been achieved. In order to reuse the putty, it is cooled sufficiently below room temperature, say, about 50°-55° F. to return to the color B.

[0013] A variety of silicone putties may be used in making the colored putties which are useful for therapeutic exercise. These putties are so-called bouncing putties or Silly Putty® and they include fillers and viscosity reducing agents.

[0014] The method this invention comprises using the putty by working it by the hands until the putty exhibits a certain color which is indicative of the extent to which the putty has been used. The therapeutic manipulation of the putty will be continued until the desired color change is manifested signaling the conclusion of prescribed therapy.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0015] In accordance with this invention, when certain pigments are incorporated into a putty, such as bouncing putty or exercise putty, and the putty is used for therapeutic purpose, such as working it by the hands, the putty exhibits a change in color due to increase in its temperature, which depends on the extent to which the putty is worked. This change in color provides the therapist with visual indication regarding the extent to which the patient has pursued the prescribed therapeutic regime. While not wishing to be bound by any particular theory, it is believed that when the pigment-containing putty of this invention is worked by the hands for therapeutic exercise, the heat generated by the hands causes a change in color of the pigmented putty. The color change is reversible, i.e.; the pigment-containing putty will change back to the color of the initial putty after discontinuing the therapeutic exercise.

[0016] In addition to monitoring or confirming compliance with prescribed therapeutic exercise program, there is advantageous biofeedback to the patient in that the patient is apprised of whether or not he or she is in compliance with the therapy depending on whether or not a color change is manifested by the putty. If no color change is observed, the patient is motivated to continue with the exercise regime until the color change is seen.

[0017] A useful color putty in accordance with this invention is a bouncing putty, exercise putty or a borosilicone compound together with a thermochromic pigment. One example of color changing putty comprises a bouncing putty base known as Q2-3233 available from Dow Corning as mentioned in U.S. Pat. No. 5,607,993 issued Mar. 14, 1997 in the name of Michael Christy. The bouncing putty described therein comprises a borosilicone rubber base with compatible lightweight additives such as density-reducing fillers. The bouncing putty may include a viscosity reducing agent such as, for example, polydimethylsiloxane, low molecular weight silanol and hydroxy-terminated polydialkylsiloxane. Also, certain borosilicone bouncing putties known as “Silly Putty” are useful because of their bouncing characteristics and other properties which make them well suited for use in physical therapy.

[0018] In order to achieve the desired visual indication of color change when used in therapeutic treatment, the thermochromic pigment is mixed with the putty. One thermochromic pigment which can be beneficially used for the purpose of this invention is Matsui Color vermilion type C-22 available from Matsui Shikiso Chemical Co., Ltd., Kyoto, Japan. A typical suitable formulation comprises 100 parts by weight of borosilicone rubber base such as Q2-3233, and about 6 parts by weight of the pigment. When the pigmented putty is at room temperature, the putty exhibits the vermilion (bright red) color of the pigment, but after working the putty, its temperature will rise, the vermilion color disappears and the putty returns to its base color, which is usually white or off-white.

[0019] In another aspect of the invention, the thermochromic pigment is used together with a pigment to produce a different color. For example, a yellow colored putty can be mixed with the vermilion pigment thus producing an orange putty. When this putty is used for exercise, the temperature of the putty will rise, the vermilion color will disappear and the putty reverts to its yellow color. An exemplary formulation comprises 100 parts by weight borosilicone rubber base, such as Q2-3233, 6 parts by weight of Matsui Color vermilion type C-22 and 0.1 part by weight of Dayglow Saturn Yellow pigment available from Dayglo Color Corp., Cleveland, Ohio.

[0020] When using vermilion C-25 pigments as aforesaid the change in color of the pigmented putty appears at about 22° C. and disappears at about 31° C. Other pigments will appear and disappear at different temperatures. For example by using vermilion C-27 produced by Mastui, the color change is noticed at approximately 27° C. and the color disappears at approximately 36° C. The present invention is based on the discovery that some pigments exhibit a change in color at a specified temperature and disappear at a higher temperature, thus making these pigments useful in pigmented putties for therapeutic exercise.

[0021] A variety of silicone putties may be used for formulating the color changing putties of this invention for physical therapy treatment. These putties are described in the aforementioned patents, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. For the purpose of the present invention, they are referred to herein as silicone putty or silicone bouncing putty.

[0022] The amount of the components used in the aforementioned pigmented putties may vary without changing the invention. Also, two different thermochromic pigments may be used, each exhibiting a change in color at different temperature. Thus, a patient using a putty which contains such pigments will be apprised of the extent of the therapy when a first color change is observed, and may continue with the therapy until a second change in color is observed. Thereafter therapy is discontinued and the putty will return to its initial color.

[0023] The use of pigmented putty for therapeutic exercise may be further described as follows. The putty, which is usually off-white in color, is uniformly mixed with thermochromic putty such as Matsui Color vermilion C-22 at room temperature (68° F.) in any suitable blender. The resulting pigmented putty will exhibit the red color of the pigment. A prescribed amount of the pigmented putty is then used by the patient and is manipulated by the hands until the pigmented putty changes back in color to the color of the initial putty. This usually occurs after the pigmented putty attains a temperature of about 75° F. or higher. At this stage, the therapeutic exercise is discontinued, the pigmented putty is allowed to cool back to room temperature and revert back to red color of the pigmented putty. The pigmented putty may be reused by the same patient or it may be used buy another patient.

[0024] In the aforementioned method, the initial putty was off-white in color, however, the initial putty color may be tailored to customer's preferences. For example, the starting putty may contain a particular yellow color pigment which may be non-thermochromic. When the red thermochromic pigment is mixed therewith, the resulting pigmented putty will be orange and after the therapeutic exercise it will revert back to yellow, the color of the initial putty. Otherwise, the use of such putty is the same as hereinbefore described.

[0025] In another aspect, a light off-pink putty is mixed with a different thermochromic pigment such as Matsui Color vermilion C-27 and the pigmented putty will become somewhat bright red in color. A prescribed amount of the red pigmented putty is then hand manipulated during therapy for a given period of time until the red pigmented putty reaches approximately 88° F. and revert back to its original light off-pink color. When this manipulated and used pigmented putty is cooled to about 50° F. it will turn back to red color which can be stored and re-used by the same patient or used by another patient.

[0026] Thus, it can readily be appreciated that the aforementioned pigmented putties afford the therapist or even the patient a way of determining if the therapeutic exercise regime has been complied with. 

1. A color changing pigmented putty useful for therapeutic exercise by manipulation by the hands of a patient, comprising a silicone putty having a color A and a thermochromic pigment, said pigmented putty exhibiting a color B associated with said pigment at room temperature, but wherein said color reverts back to the initial color A after manipulation of said pigmented putty and raising its temperature above room temperature.
 2. A color changing pigmented putty as in claim 1 wherein said pigmented putty exhibits the color associated with said pigment at a temperature of about 68° F. but wherein said color disappears when the temperature of said pigmented putty reaches at least about 75° F.
 3. A color changing pigmented putty as in claim 1 wherein said pigment constitutes from about 0.5 to about 6.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said silicone compound.
 4. A color changing pigmented putty as in claim 2 wherein said pigment constitutes from about 0.5 to about 6.0 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of said silicone compound.
 5. A color changing pigmented putty useful for therapeutic physical exercise, comprising a silicone putty and two color changing pigments, a first pigment which changes color at one temperature and a second pigment which changes color at a second, higher temperature.
 6. A color changing putty as in claim 5 wherein said first pigment changes color at a temperature of about 68° F. to about 75° F. and said second pigment changes color at a temperature of about 75° F. to about 85° F.
 7. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 1 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 8. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 2 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 9. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 3 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 10. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 4 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 11. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 5 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 12. A therapeutic exercise method comprising hand manipulating a pigmented putty as claimed in claim 6 until said putty exhibits a visual change in color indicative of the extent of exercise, and thereafter discontinuing said manipulation when said color change is exhibited.
 13. A color changing pigmented putty useful for therapeutic exercise by manipulation by the hands of a patient, comprising a silicone putty having a color A and a pigment imparting a color B to the putty, wherein when said pigmented putty is manipulated by the hands to a temperature of at least about 85° F., said pigmented putty reverts to the color A of said putty, and wherein after cooling said manipulated pigmented putty to a temperature of from about 50° F. to about 55° F., said pigmented putty will return to the color B of the pigmented putty. 